Hidden Hyuuga, Unknown Uchiha
by Rayfe.the.Dragon
Summary: Uchiha Sayuri, a small girl when abducted from Konoha while it was under attack. Hyuuga Hanzo, reject shinobi from the most illustrious clan the village has to offer. Two unlucky souls forced into an existence they'd rather not live. A chance meeting when they were young starts them down a path that will show them, the world is tough but easier to face with the one you love.
1. Chapter One

_Okay, so here's my first attempt at a fanfiction...I hope i do a good job. I do not own the Naruto-verse nor do i pwn any of the characters therein. I'm doing a build up of the lives of the two new characters, Hyuuga Hanzo and Uchiha Sayuri, from a brief glimpse of the nine-tails attack to after the 4th war. There will be a bit of time skipping during the early stages to get them through their training years. Probably might hit more than 30 chapters. Will contain BDSM elements to the story later on and if that bothers you then i urge you to reconsider reading this story. If it doesn't then enjoy the ride :) Uh... I guess that's about it. No smut in the earlier chapters though so bear with me haha. Hope you all like it. Reviews welcome._

 **Chapter One**

 _The girl-child wailed loudly in the smoke filled room. Nothing more than a toddler, two years at the most. There was fire everywhere and beams were falling, the crackle of flame loud in the shinobi's ears. He noted the red and white fan symbol that was put on the door was slowly being burned away and the shinobi smiled, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip. He crossed quickly to the child who was standing there, eyes wide in fear and tears running down her face. It almost made his heart twist at the sight. Almost. In a swift move he snatched the girl out of the way of a falling beam and rushed out of the broken ceiling into the cool night air. A ways off, he could see the nine-tails wreaking havoc on the village he had once called home. Jonin, Chunin… it wouldn't matter who they threw at it. Konoha would be destroyed…. As he sped away back to his hideaway he looked at the child he had cradled in his arms._

 _"Uchiha…Sayuri….."_

 _An odd sounding name in his opinion. The child had dark hair and typical Uchiha features...and yet she seemed delicate like the lily her name depicted her as. A softness in her eyes that took away from the typical harsh face of the Uchiha clan. He smirked at the, now silent, child as he leaped from tree to tree. She would manifest the Sharingan…and then he would be that much closer to his goal._

* * *

 _Three Years Later_

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Her hand seals had been a blur of perfection, and she felt the rush of chakra within her. All that was left was the fire itself. With a powerful breath she blew with all her might… and groaned as all she sprouted was a few embers.

"Orochimaru-sama! Why can't I do it!"

Seated in a chair a few feet behind her, the man in question chuckled.

"In time you will obtain power, but until then practice makes perfect. Continue."

Sayuri frowned and turned to glare at him.

"Easy for you to say. Jerk."

Orochimaru frowned at her.

"Remember whom you speak to child. If not for me, you would have burned" he spat.

Uchiha Sayuri glowered at him. The bastard, he always lorded that over her head. Claimed she owed him. Never failed to bring it up when she was demanding answers about her family, if she even had one. Kami, she hated him sometimes. Growling under her breath she brought up her hands and flew through the required hand seals.

"Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Leaning back, she inhaled and spat out a ball of fire two feet in diameter, the heat so intense it caused her to break the technique and stumble back onto her ass. Panting heavily, but with a smile on her face, she stood and turned to look at Orochimaru who was smiling.

Five. The girl was five and well on her way to mastering her clan secrets. He'd kept her with him ever since she were two and in three short years she'd surpassed his low expectations for her: She learned to talk earlier than expected and had the right attitude he needed for his subjects: Thirsty for power. Her power was a deep one, and it promised great things for his experiments. And when she manifested the Sharingan? HE would be in possession of everything he needed. Orochimaru smiled at her and nodded his head

"Well done, child. Well done."

"OUT! GET OUT!"

The six year old needed no more encouragement. He left the training ground of the compound, covered in coin sized bruises from the sparring session he just had. He limped as fast as he could, all feeling in his left leg, part of his chest and left shoulder gone. Tears threatened to spill over in his eyes but he held them in check. He would not cry. Not now. Not ever again for the sake of these people. When he got to his room he shut the door silently and all but collapsed on the floor, rolling onto his back.

"Why…..why me."

He asked the question to nobody in particular. Hyuuga Hanzo, clan reject, didn't know the answer. Born into the Hyuuga Branch Family, he'd been sealed only two years ago at the tender age of four. From then on, as he was trained in the clan martial art of Gentle Fist, he'd been a screw up. He simply couldn't do it well enough to be considered good at it…or even remotely passable. He was slow, clumsy and his Byakugan was nowhere close to par. It had been a thought that the act of sealing him had done him some kind of mental harm but that wasn't it. He simply just couldn't get the technique. Nevermind hitting any tenketsu. Hanzo sniffled and began the crawl to his pallet, painfully making his way there. Thankfully, his chakra was beginning to flow normally again so he regained a bit of feeling in his leg and chest. When he was mostly recovered, he would leave the compound and live alone. It would be better than his life here at least. He closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

"Hanzo is a failure. We cannot allow such a blemish to exist in the history of the Hyuuga clan!"

The voice had been a whisper but it was more than enough to wake Hanzo. He must have fallen asleep for an exceptionally long time because it was pitch black outside. Sitting bolt upright in bed he couldn't help the shiver that worked its way up his spine. He didn't recognize the voice of the person but figured it had to be an Elder. Most likely the one who had witnessed his training session today.

"Hn…you're right…I wish there was another way but Hanzo cannot be allowed to remain alive"

Hanzo froze in utter shock. _That_ voice he did know. Nothing in the world could have stopped the tears flowing down Hanzo's cheeks as he replayed the words of his own father in his mind. Still crying, he shifted silently off of the pallet and began gathering his things onto his sheets, everything he knew he could carry: Some kunai, a few sets of clothing. A water bottle and his medicine pack. A few stolen onigiri from the pantry. He would fill the water bottle in a stream nearby and then leave the village as fast as he could. He stopped when he heard his father speak again.

"We must take him now. It will be easier for us all to be rid of him this night and deal with any repercussions in the morning."

The Elder let out a "Hn" of agreement.

Hanzo dumped everything into his backpack and ran out of his room, not even bother to close the shoji door behind him. He ran as fast as he could through the halls, then bursting out onto the training ground and onto the rooftops. He didn't look back until he was far enough that the compound was a distant image, lights popping on all over it as they no doubt had discovered that he'd escaped. Turning way, he sprinted for the main gate of Konoha Village and stood on the dirt path that led to the world outside. A tear spattered onto the ground. It was soon followed by more. He'd made friends in this village. At the academy. Now, thanks to his subpar skills and his dismal Byakugan, he was slated for execution. Sadness gave way to righteous anger, which was then routed into cold determination. Lifting his voice, he hoped it carried all the way to his father back at the compound.

"I WILL RETURN! AND I WILL SHOW YOU ALL!"

 _Six Years Later_

Sayuri had to keep backing up, making sure she kept the blade that Kabuto-sama was trying to slash her with at bay while she concentrated on his movements with her two-tomoe Sharingan. Even with the kekkei genkai active, she could barely keep up with his attacks and suffered shallow cuts to her arms and legs. Kami damn it all but the fucker was fast. Dodging yet again, she tried to punch him in the face as he got close but not only did he dodge but she took a knee to the stomach for her efforts. Falling to the ground, she laid there and tried to remember how to breathe.

"You're not trying hard enough Sayuri-chan," Kabuto told her, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "You rely too heavily on your Sharingan to save you but you haven't fully gotten used to the power yet. Your taijutsu is decent enough but you lack strength. Your shuriken-jutsu is excelling rapidly and your ninja techniques are progressing well. But everything you do can use more improvement. Was Orochimaru wrong to save you from the fire?"

Oh no he fucking didn't. Sayuri pushed herself to her feet and glared at him with all her might.

"Go to Hell!" She spat.

Kabuto frowned as her hands flew through a set of seals that she had been working on, unbeknownst to anyone.

"Fire style: Pheonix Fire Jutsu!"

The flames she spat were so hot they burned white and raced towards her target who stood there in shock. As the flames hit Kabuto she smirked. Of course she knew that even with this, the man would have most likely performed a substitution. Sure enough, she whirled around just in time to block his kunai with her own.

"Interesting move Sayuri. Looks like you've gotten into the scrolls in the library haven't you."

Sayuri grinned like a fiend before spinning herself along his outstretched arm and landing a palm strike on his sternum. Kabuto stumbled back, wincing as he rubbed the spot with his free hand. Nodding he tucked away his kunai and smirked at her.

"What else did you find in the library?"

* * *

"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-four Palms!"

Hanzo fell into the stance of the classic Hyuuga technique and charged. His target? A log in the ground that he'd drawn tenketsu points on in his own blood. His clothes were ragged but were relatively clean, as was he. His hair was long and disheveled and he had a fresh dirt smudge on his face from this mornings training. His pants were ripped a little as was his top. He was drenched in sweat. His belly howled in hunger. But he wasn't going to stop until midday.

"Two strikes!"

He jammed his fingertips into two tenketsu on the log, right about where the left side of the chest would be on a human.

"Four strikes! Eight strikes!"

His next hits met the target in rapid succession and he spun around the log to attack from the back.

"Sixteen Strikes! Thirty-two Strikes!"

Iron-solid fingers and steel strong palms slammed into the wood over and over. Almost there. Time to wrap it up. Hanzo dug deep and began to whirl around the target his hands a blur.

"Sixty-four Strikes!"

He'd been working up to a three-hundred and sixty degree distribution of the final sixty four strikes for a while now and he'd been perfecting it ever since he'd gotten the hang of the original technique a month ago. But when he finished his last strike he vaulted over the log and spun on his heel. No, he wasn't done yet.

"Vacuum Palm!"

Hanzo flew backwards from the blast of chakra leaving his palm, skidding ten feet away. Shaking from exertion and pain, he knelt to look at the log and saw the deep dent in the wood from his attack. His previous training post had been too dented to use, the lack of power in his attack leaving puckered holes in the bark. This dent was much deeper and the wood had splintered.

"Getting …..better." Hanzo got out between pants. He laid there as he recovered, his arms and legs sore from movement. He'd taken to taping his arms and legs so that the damage his body suffered would be less. Groaning, he pushed himself to a sitting position, then stood and made his way over to a nearby stream. Stripping quickly, he hopped into the water and set about scrubbing himself clean and washing out his clothes. As they dried, he swam around the water for a bit, enjoying its frigid temperature on his post workout body. Twenty minutes later, he dressed in his equally ragged, but clean set of spare clothing. Stomach now protesting in earnest, he made his way into the town nearby to see if he could beg a kind soul for a meal.

Sayuri crossed blades with Kabuto, the medical ninja now hard pressed to land a hit on the 11 year old when, before now, she'd been easy prey. The little ninja had a wicked smile on her face and Kabuto scowled. She'd clearly been holding back before and his comment had riled her up to the point where she held nothing back. Dodging one of his attacks, she slashed at him with her kunai and he back up fast, allowing her the breathing room she needed to form hand seals….or, as was the case now, fling a multitude of hira shuriken at him. Kabuto swore and weaved through the flying metal and rushed towards the girl, intending to knock her stone cold unconscious with one blow. He never got that far. Sayuri smirked and yanked hard on the wire she had attached to each and every one of those shuriken. Too late he realized her plan and, unbelieveably, was wrapped head to foot in cables. He hit the floor in a cloud of dust and Sayuri brushed her hair out of her face, looking smug.

"Looks like I win, eh Kabuto-sama?"

Kabuto was about to respond when he heard someone slow-clapping near the doorway. Orochimaru's cold voice drifted over to them and Kabuto felt a familiar chill down his spine.

"Well done Sayuri-chan. Kabuto-san here underestimated you. You have been progressing well."

Sayuri bowed low at the praise.

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama."

The snake man walked over, released Kabuto from his binds and then beckoned to the Uchiha girl.

"Come. You will rest and we shall talk."

Sayuri, emboldened by his praise, looked him in the eye, her Sharingan still active.

"Please, Orochimaru-sama…I wish to know of my family. If I had one…I'd like to know who I am."

Kabuto winced as Orochimaru frowned and then began to walk over to the child. Sayuri had fallen to her knees in another bow, proving that she was not foolish, and stared at the floor.

"Forgive me Orochimaru-sama. I just.. I need to know if I was all alone from the beginning."

This had stopped the man in his tracked. And then, Orochimaru began to laugh wickedly.

"Come child. I will answer all of your questions. And you will know all you need to know by the days end."

Hanzo quietly ate the bowl of ramen he'd been given by the restaurant owner, free of charge. He sat in the corner of the shop, out of anyone's way yet close enough to the door so he could escape if need be. As he ate with the proper decorum of a member of the Hyuuga household, he watched the people go by, envying their lives. They all had it easier than him for the most part. Most didn't have to beg for a meal like he did. A roof over their heads to keep out the elements. Clothing that wasn't ripped in more than several places. And a family that loved them. Not to say that there weren't people who were worse off than him. He'd seen the cruelty of the world in different forms and knew that he was blessed to be able to defend himself up to a point. Most people in this town weren't shinobi so they couldn't defend themselves from thugs and bandits.

As he was contemplating these things, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He didn't decide to activate his Byakugan though. He was still a bit unused to the new strength he'd gained with it through his training. Instead, he turned his head to see a man, probably mid-thirties, sit at the table beside his own and order a bowl of ramen. The man politely nodded to Hanzo, who just blinked back, unused to such politeness from a stranger. Hastily recovering, Hanzo nodded back and then returned to his bowl of noodles.

'Today is looking up.' He thought. A good training session, and now actual politeness from a stranger? He must have bathed very well today because people usually turned their noses upwards in disgust at him. Slurping happily, Hanzo didn't pay too much attention to the four men who entered the shop at that moment. He did notice that they looked a little ragged, like he did, although they clearly ate better. They also carried weapons on them as well, but they looked old and worn, the handles smudged from sweat and ragged with use. As Hanzo paid more and more attention to them his eating slowed, then ground to a halt. The four patrons were simply standing there. Not only were they standing there, they were staring directly at him. And if that wasn't bad enough, the one in the middle had a picture of him in his right hand, the breeze making the paper sway.

'Shit…..'

Hanzo slowly started eating again, not daring to activate his kekkei genkai just yet. It would only provoke a possible attack.

"Hyuuga Hanzo?" the man in charge, Hanzo presumed, spoke with a reedy voice.

Hanzo said nothing and finished off his noodles, slurping down the miso broth as slowly as he dared.

"Your father has hired us to bring you home, boy. Come along now son." The man said with a smile.

Hanzo didn't move an inch. His father hadn't said anything like that and he knew it. The man had planned his death nine years ago and would have followed through with it if he hadn't escaped from the compound when he did. Lowering the bowl slowly, Hanzo was going to speak but the man who had come in before the new people spat at the ringleader.

"You're fooling nobody with that whole 'nice-guy' bull shit, my friend. It's plain as day the four of you intend to kill him for a bounty. What's more is that this boy could take down the four of you in less time than it would take for me to finish a second bowl of ramen. And if the boy can handle you then i most certainly can. Leave the child alone. He's harmed no-one and is simply trying to survive."

The man shifted and everyone could see the handle of a sword poking out from above his right shoulder. Hanzo wasn't focused on that though. He was trying to fight back tears. No one had ever stood up for him. Certainly not his family, and he'd left the village before he could make any real friends. And now this old man that he didn't even know was prepared to fight over his safety.

"Don't make us laugh, you don't know who you're messing with old man!"

As one, the four men drew their weapons and Hanzo frowned. The lead man carried a wicked looking katana that, despite years of obvious use, was bone-cleavingly sharp. The two men on either side of him both carried kama, the sickle-blades stained with blood in some places from a previous kill. The final one in the back was the real cause for concern. The man was huge and was holding an axe the Hanzo was sure could cleave a grown man in half with little effort. Heaving a sigh, the man stood up and winked at Hanzo.

"Well, son, looks like we've offended them. Shall we escort them to the hospital together?"

Son…he called him son and didn't even know him. Hanzo let only one tear of gratitude fall before he took his place beside his new friend. Nodding, he fell into the Gentle Fist fighting stance and activated his Byakugan.

Sayuri looked up from where she lay on her pallet in her room. The window showed that it was already sun down. And just like the sun gave way to the night, so too did her constant need to know who she was give way to a crushing depression. An Uchiha. She was an Uchiha, which kind of explained the fact that she possessed Sharingan now didn't it, but not only that, she was the last Uchiha…No family to speak of anymore. They'd all been killed by…oh Kami, she couldn't even go there. Rolling off her resting place, she paced around her room, fighting back tears.

"Who does that…who does that to their own family!" She muttered harshly under her breath.

And that bastard Orochimaru had been smiling as he told the story. Like it was a great joke. But of course he would find something like this amusing. The bastard had no heart and was as power hungry as the monster who'd eliminated her family. He probably looked to tales like this for inspiration. Unable to stand being confined in her room a moment longer, she leaped through her window and raced through the forest, not even paying attention to where she might end up. Kami knew how long she had been travelling for but she stopped when she didn't recognize any of her surroundings. She was just outside the gate of a river-town and, even at this late hour, it was alive with activity. Entering the place, she lost herself in the nearly visible camaraderie of the townspeople. Everyone just seemed to be happy here. As she walked through the streets she stared in wonder at everything around her. Kabuto-sama had taken her on outings before when she was smaller but she'd never taken the time to just, enjoy the sights. It was always a trip to get something for Orochimaru, or food for them all to eat that night.

She was passing what must have been the restaurant district of the town when she saw a commotion over by one of the stores. Making her way over, she arrived just in time to see four men lead the way out of a local ramen shop, followed by a man who looked to be about thirty-three at least, and a boy who couldn't be any more than a year older than she was. The four men had all drawn weapons and their intent to kill was a feeling so strong that it almost made her freeze on the spot. Looking back towards the boy and middle-aged man, she noticed that there was a sword strapped to the back of the man and his right hand was resting on the hilt over his shoulder, his face calm and impassive. The boy had no weapon but around his eyes she could see veins as clear as day.

'Dojutsu..' she thought to herself.

Without a doubt, she knew that the four men wielding those vicious looking weapons were going to have a hell of a time. Glancing around, she noticed someone in the growing crowd that she _really_ didn't want to see. Frowning, she did her best to blend in with the bystanders, hoping to at least catch part of the fight. Glancing back at the boy, she saw that he'd been looking at her….well it felt more like staring with the way his eyes looked. Timidly, she offered a small smile. The boy nodded and gave her a grin in return before facing his opponents. The old man shook his head.

"Son, now is not the time to impress the ladies. We've got a hospital appointment to get to. We'd best be on time, yes?"

The boy nodded and took up a fighting stance that was utterly unfamiliar to her. Blushing, but head tilted to one side, she couldn't resist activating her Sharingan to get a better look.

'Who is he….'

Hanzo couldn't lose now. There were pretty girls everywhere and, even though he knew that it was completely foolish to base his performance in this fight on whether or not he'd be noticed by the girls, a loud screaming voice in his head was telling him to be as show-offy as possible. Sillping into Gentle Fist, he looked at the four men he was about to break into pieces.

"Sir, perhaps we should take the men with the kama first? Or would you rather I take two and you take two?"

The man bellowed a great laugh and grasped the hilt of his blade.

"A fine plan son. The two kama-wielders first then, eh? Alright, I'll follow your lead."

Hanzo was taken aback for a moment. Follow his lead? He'd never even been in a real…

'Oh my kami, I am going to die.'


	2. Chapter Two

_Sorry it has taken so long to return to my story. It's been a while since a posted chapter one. So much has happened recently. Lost my grandmother and through that I had to scramble just to be semi-normal through my finals for school so I didn't flunk. Thank god I managed to get everything in on time. And then there was that glorious night last Friday where I escorted the lovely Survivor at Midnight to her prom. Good lord now that was a night to remember. I've never felt more alive and I have never been happier. And I've been all gushy and touchy-feely ever since then and I've just been gahhhhhh. At any rate, now that the semester is over I can focus on writing more so I will hopefully be adding chapters more and more often. I'm going to try to start picking up the story so I can get them to adult years. That way I can keep true to the rating and warning labels I stated previously as well as keep the story interesting with the lives of Hanzo and Sayuri post war. So this chapter and the next will be about their first initial meeting as children and from chapter four and onwards, the Fourth war will have happened and they will meet again, fully developed Konoha Shinobi and all growed up. So enjoy the chapter, hope you guys like it. I do not own the Naruto-verse, I am just borrowing for the hell of it. Enjoy the ride ladies and gents._

* * *

Livid. Kabuto was absolutely, positively livid. This fricking child and her fracking need to know fucking _everything_! He'd heard the jingle of the bell alarm system he'd installed near the window of her room when she'd been allowed to have one and had left immediately in an effort to deter any retribution by Orochimaru-sama. And, although he did sympathize with the girl wanting to get away from all the ugliness of her ancestry and family history, it was going to be detrimental to his health if the master noticed that his protégé was missing. He'd tracked the girl easily to the nearest town and spotted her in a crowd of about fifty people, surrounding six potential combatants: Four, very ugly and brutal looking thugs versus a serious faced middle aged man and a small boy of twelve who….

"Interesting…" Kabuto muttered to himself. Pale lavender, pupil-less eyes, long hair, and Gentle-Fist stance? Not to mention an active and, from what Kabuto could sense, powerful Byakugan?

'What is a Hyuuga doing so far away from the family nest?'

Content to see how things were going to play out, he made sure to keep track of his initial purpose for entering this village within his peripheral vision, and then turned to watch the fight. Perhaps he could bring in a new member into the ranks of Orochimaru. Smiling, Kabuto fixed his glasses which had slid down the bridge of his nose and settled with his arms folded in front of his chest.

Hanzo was trembling. Sweating. His breathing coming in short, abrupt gasps. He couldn't believe he'd gotten himself into this position. Maybe if he ran now, they wouldn't be able to catch him. Maybe…

" _Hanzo!_ "

Snapping out of his panic attack, he glanced to the source of the whisper. The man he'd met in the restaurant was frowning at him, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Ease yourself, boy. This is not the time to be over thinking." He said.

Hanzo shook his head.

"I….I'm not even a genin. I can't do this…I'll die!" Hanzo whispered back.

The old man grinned a little.

"Relax. Breathe. This is nothing more than a training session. I've seen you on the edge of town many times, striking away at that thick log. Honing your strength. Teaching yourself how to fight. These men? They're just moving logs, son. Four, very impolite, moving logs."

Hanzo wasn't too convinced. Logs didn't hit back. Nor did they carry weapons and look at you like they were going to pick their teeth with your bones. But his new friend was right. He couldn't back down now. He had been training for a purpose just like this: To prevent anyone from ever harming him. To protect himself and others. To be a shinobi worthy of the Konoha Village. To prove to his father that he wasn't a failure. Chakra flared to life along his hands and forearms. Win or lose, he was about to put all his hard work to the test. Face set in an indifferent scowl, he nodded to the swordsman and together they lunged forward.

Sayuri gasped at the visible chakra racing along the hands and arms of the boy. Clearly he was a highly skilled ninja to be able to manipulate chakra to this extent. And that was before he started fighting. Her Sharingan was barely keeping up with his movements, a few seconds late to pick up the next strike before it already happened. She had been worried that he was nervous and would end up getting hurt earlier but that was all put to rest now as he began to deal with the thugs like he'd been born fighting. His taijutsu was superb, graceful, yet devastating. And the sword-wielder was no slouch. His blade was three feet long and shaped like a thin triangle, a silhouette of a wolf on the blade. The man effortlessly parried and blocked strike after strike, sparks flying where weapons met. Both the old man and Hanzo, as she'd heard the boy be called, were totally avoiding the man with the axe as neither of them could take that thug on without the help of the other. Even as she watched the battle, she kept her eye on Kabuto in the crowd as much as she could. However, like her, he was fixated on the show in front of him.

"Maybe I can slip away unnoticed." She mumbled to herself.

Fully focusing on the melee, she grinned as Hanzo struck the enemy swordsman in the shoulder, then midriff and left side of the chest, three times each in rapid succession. Sent sprawling, the man was spitting curses left and right while he tried to struggle to his feet. She joined the crowd in laughter when Hanzo's ally sliced through the thug's waistband to expose a set of ratty underwear.

"Nice one!" Hanzo said with a smirk as he sent the man ass-over-elbow with a well-placed strike to the chest. Fighting, as it turned out, wasn't that frightening after all. Well, yeah, he was fighting for his life and yeah, there was the very real possibility that he might have to kill but there was nothing other than his empty mind and the reflexes of is body for him to deal with. He was at peace with what he was doing, knowing that he had done nothing wrong and hadn't started the fight in the first place.

"Thank you kindly son. By the way, duck!"

Hanzo did more than duck. Whirling around he performed a full split, the razor edge of the kama that had been previously aimed for his skull passing harmlessly over him. Thank Kami for his daily stretches. And even more for his training. Rising from the split, he slammed a chakra laden fist in the chest of his attacker. Thanks to his Byakugan, he watch the thug's chakra network slow and then dissipate while he crumpled to the ground out cold. Smirking, he whirled around to face the remaining fighters. And saw the blade of an axe hurtling right for him

'Kami damn it..'

* * *

 _CLANG!_

Jin put everything he had into that block, stopping the axe from slicing Hanzo in half. As he bore down on his blade, he looked to the thug that he'd dispatched with an extra mouth in his neck. Then he looked at the ones Hanzo had knocked unconscious. Finally, he looked into the eyes of the Hyuuga child and grinned.

"Well now, it seems we're down to the last problem. Hanzo, I think you can dispatch him without a problem now. Would you mind?"

Jin smiled when the boy nodded and lunged forward.

"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-four Palms!"

Kabuto grinned as the child unleashed the Hyuuga trademark finisher, chakra surging through his palm and finger strikes into the body of the axe-man.

"Two strikes! Four Strikes!"

As the boy progressed through the technique, Kabuto felt his eyes go wider and wider. The technique was the trademark but the dispensation of the strikes was completely unorthodox, each strike going to different places on the front and back of the body, the boy weaving around his target with flowing and graceful movements.

'Apparently this generation is full of prodigies.'

"Sixty-four Strikes!"

The boy was a blur now. A _blur_ as he sped around the hulking man, striking with deadly precision as he shut down the tenketsu in his opponent's body in a three-hundred and sixty degree dispersal method that he'd never seen done before. Neji Hyuuga was considerably more skilled than this boy and Kabuto had never witnessed the Hyuuga prodigy do something like this. When the last strike was delivered, the boy flipped away and deactivated his kekkei genkai. The axe-man wasn't moving.

Hanzo let out a breath as he landed, the fight having taken way too much out of him. But at least it was over with. He had no doubt that he'd killed that man, but he didn't have enough energy to dwell on that. Falling to his knees, he looked up to see the man he fought with smiling at him.

"Well don, son. You did a fine job. Let us go report this to the authorities."

Hanzo nodded and made to stand on his feet. He never got there.

Sayuri was scowling as she was taken home by Kabuto who had tucked her, unceremoniously, under his arm as he walked through the forest. The man was silent but she could feel the waves of disapproval pouring out of him. She didn't care. What she did care about was how Orochimaru-sama would react when Kabuto told on her. Trembling slightly, she tried to look into Kabuto's eyes but couldn't: The waning sunlight had cast a glare on his glasses and it hurt her eyes. Come to think of it, her eyes were pounding and she had a headache. Plus she was exhausted. Grimacing, she rubbed them and hissed in pain when her hands came into contact with her eyes.

"Stop that, you'll only make it hurt more." Kabuto mumbled.

"Why do they hurt in the first place?" She grumbled back. Then she let out a squeak as Kabuto tossed her on her butt in front of him. The man knelt down and studied her with a frown on hs face.

"I told you only this morning that your Sharingan isn't developed enough yet for you to rely so heavily on it. You were watching that entire fight with it activated and now your body is paying the price. You need bed rest and plenty of training to get onto the level you'd like to be at. Now come along. If you're lucky, the master has not noticed your absence."

With that, Kabuto stepped over her and walked in the direction they had been headed. Scrambling up, Sayuri hurried after him, her body protesting with a chorus of aches and pains.

"Orochimaru-sama was lying. Please tell me I'm not the only one of my clan left."

Kabuto heard the child's voice and, loathe to admit it as he was, it twisted his heart. He slowed to a stop but didn't turn around. His heart was aching for the child. Orochimaru was truly a devil. He'd filled her head with false hopes of power, while he was just learning what it took to train an Uchiha to their full potential. And yes, the girl was phenomenal for her age, mastering her clan's secrets under strict and unforgiving training. But she was expendable as the true prize was well on its way to the compound. Uchiha Sasuke, the only other remaining Uchiha besides Uchiha Itachi, the one who decimated the clan in the first place.

"Kabuto-sama…please…he was lying. Right?"

Kami, the girl sounded so fragile. But he was way more concerned with living to see the morning rather than sparing her spirit.

"Orochimaru-sama spoke the truth, Sayuri. It's best not to dwell on it. We must return home."

Later that evening, Sayuri laid awake on her pallet, tears streaming down her face. Alone. She was truly alone. Kabuto and Orochimaru may have taken her in to train her and feed her, but they weren't her family. She didn't feel anything towards them other than obligation, and even that was dissipating fast. It was horrible to believe that she had no one in this world who she could connect with. No one to call family. No one to share feelings with. Abruptly, her mind shifted to the face of that boy from earlier. Hanzo, was it? Something in her knew that he was the same. He was lost in this world, without a family. Like her. Sniffling, she laid on her side and drew her legs up to her chest.

'I don't belong here.'

 _The Next Morning_

Orochimaru was beyond aggravated. That damned Uchiha boy should have been here ages ago. He would have gone on his own but, thanks to Sarutobi, it would have been foolish to attempt it in his current condition. Curse that man, but he'd managed to render him almost completely powerless. He expected nothing less from his old master, but he was so sure that he'd have been able to take him down, that he'd overlooked his resilience. No more use of his arms….No more using techniques that he'd created… no more of any of that. And the pain, Kami the _pain_! Growling under his breath, he spared Kabuto no glance when the man walked through the door. He knew what he would say. Done with it all, he glared at Kabuto, stopping the man in his tracks.

"It shall be as you say. Bring the vessel."

Kabuto frowned, but nodded.

"Yes master. Also, the Sasuke retrieval team is on its way. They will arrive shortly."

Orochimaru grinned even though he was angry. Two years….he'd have to wait 728 days until he could possess the body of that child.

"Good. That boy better be brought here in one piece. I need that Uchiha so I can destroy Konoha for good this time."

A flurry of movement caused him to narrow his eye and look to the doorway. Great, just what he needed. But no matter. Uchiha Sasuke would be within his grasp in yet a while. He had no need for the girl anymore. As Kabuto made to stop her escape, Orochimaru extended his neck right over to him, getting more than in is personal space. Lip-distance apart, he smiled at Kabuto and swiped his tongue across his lips.

"Leave her. She is of no concern to us anymore. The real prize approaches. Let us begin the transference into the new vessel."


	3. Chapter 3

_Good Lord, it's been a while. I can't believe i left this alone for so long. I am sorry to everyone for that. I am back now and i will do my best to be more consistent. Here is a long chapter to make amends. I do not own the Naruto-verse nor its characters therein. I am simply borrowing because i love it._

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

As Hanzo regained consciousness he realized two things immediately: One? He had a headache so bad that it was going to make him cry. Two? He was not where he usually would be when he woke up after a night of sleep. Struggling to sit up, he squinted through the pain and noticed that he didn't have the normal ache in his bod from sleeping on the ground. And he was lying in a bed, an actual bed. Now his eyes shot wide open so he could stare around in wonder at his room. It was impeccably clean and upscale, almost resembling the room he had left behind six years ago. As he looked around he started to panic. Maybe the reason this place looked like his room is because it actually _was_ his room. That had to be it: He'd worn himself out fighting those four goons earlier in the morning and, after the authorities had come, they'd carted him back off to Konoha. Back to the Hyuuga clan. Back to his homicidal father.

'Kami damn it… I need to get out of here…'

Quickly and silently, he rolled out of bed and activated his Byakugan. The first thing he saw was his belongings, packed into a bag and sitting on a desk near the door. Snatching that up, he glanced through the bag at the contents and slung it over his shoulder. Luckily, everything he owned was inside it. He slid the shoji screen door open and crept into a long hallway that contained many paintings and pictures of magical beasts and depictions of battlefields. Clearly the Hyuuga had redecorated while he'd been away. Scowling, he ran as quietly as he could through the hall and found an open window near a stairwell. Glancing around he saw nobody in his general vicinity, which was weird, but he wasn't going to not take advantage of a lapse in security. Leaping through it, he grabbed the ledge of the roof above him and swung upwards, landing lightly on the tiles. What he saw had him deactivating his kekkei genkai and looking around in wonder. He wasn't back in Konoha at all. He was standing on the roof of an estate that looked to be several acres in size and rife with simplistic beauty. As if the owner was rich but tried not to flaunt it.

"Oi! Hanzo! Leaving already, eh?"

Hanzo, whirled around at the sound of the voice so close behind him and nearly stumbled off the roof. At the last second, a firm hand snatched him by the arm and pulled him back into safety.

"Easy son, I've got you."

Hanzo could only stare as the old man he had fought alongside with in the village dusted him off and checked him over for any injuries. Apparently satisfied that Hanzo was fine, the man sat down on the tile and stared at him with curiosity.

"So, are you going to leave?"

Sayuri sat under a tree, a fire blazing a few feet away from her, radiating with warmth. She wasn't cold by any means but she felt numb. Dead to the world. Used. Betrayed. It'd been a few hours since her flight from Orochimaru's lair and she had been traveling nonstop until she couldn't deny her howling belly any longer. She sat tensely, a kunai strung with a guide wire in her hand. She'd been sitting absolutely still for the past twenty minutes, waiting. She heard a rustle in the bushes right in front of her but didn't move save for tensing the hand that held her weapon. A second later, she flicked the weapon into the bush and heard the impact of the weapon hitting flesh. She pulled sharply on the wire and caught the rabbit that was now going to be her meal. Skinning and cleaning her kill she did her best to block out the agony of the truth she'd heard her former caretaker, if she could even call him that, and focus on feeding herself.

"Do not cry. Damn you Sayuri, do _not_ cry…"

The tears fell anyway though. Bitter tears of sadness mixed with a bittersweet joy. She'd found that she wasn't the only Uchiha left. There was at least one still alive…for now. When Orochimaru took over his body, she'd be alone again. She sniffled as she set the rabbit to roast on the flames and began to idly form hand seals for all the jutsu she knew: almost all of the Katon, though she couldn't do her Fire Dragon yet and she didn't have her three tomoe Sharingan to perform the Spin of the Heavenly Three. After that, she'd need her Mangekyo Sharingan to progress any further into her Uchiha arts. However, thanks to Kabuto and Oro-teme, she was able to manipulate lightning along with her natural fire chakra nature and she knew how to use Lightning Dragon Tornado and the Lightning Ball. As she practiced, she grew angry. She had a wealth of knowledge for a child who wasn't even trained as a genin yet and all at the hands of a monster like Orochimaru. She felt as though she was tainted with something ugly. Suddenly, she sprang up to her feet and whirled on the tree behind her, hands flying rapidly through a seal.

"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Blowing with all her might she burned the tree to a crisp, her fireball so hot it caused the skin on her face to tighten. As it dissipated, she fell to her knees, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She was a little girl, lost and alone in the world.

'Where am I going to go…?'

Hanzo sat at a table laden with so many foods he didn't think he'd ever have the time to eat them all. And yet his new friend, Jin the old man, had had his staff prepare this feast for him, his wife and Hanzo to eat for lunch. Even as he gaped at the spread of delicious food before him, he felt a bit like an intruder. Jin's wife, Miyuki, had been openly staring at him from the moment they'd been introduced and, in Hanzo's experience, people staring at him were not usually good news. He simply sat there and waited for Jin to say grace. Then he focused only on eating, starting with his favorite barbequed beef and moving on to a healthy bowl of ramen. Though he ate with the normal Hyuuga decorum he still must have looked like a pig with the amount of food he was taking. Then again, he had been living off scraps for a while now and a meal like this had to be grabbed with both hands. Literally. As he started to tear into a plate full of egg fried rice, he noticed the face of Jin's wife had transformed from scrutiny, to a sort of tender curiosity. Slowly, he lowered his chopsticks and then hung his head in shame.

"Forgive me….I haven't seen a meal like this in years. I do not mean to offend." he murmured.

Rising from his seat, he turned to head into the garden when he felt a soft hand land on his shoulder and spin him around. Before he knew it, he was wrapped into a hug that had him freezing from shock.

"Hanzo-kun, don't ever apologize for truly enjoying a luxury many people take for granted. You have known hardship for too long. No more. You will get all you deserve and more. Eat, my son. I will have a room prepared for you to retire in after your bath."

Hanzo tried. He really did. He managed not to let a single sound escape his lips. But the torrent of tears kept coming as he was held by this wonderful woman who had seemed to not only open her home, but her heart to him. A mother…a father. How he had longed for this feeling as a child. The feeling of belonging. The feeling of being loved. Hanzo wrapped his arms around Miyuki and hugged her so hard he lifted her off her feet. He heard a set of footsteps and then Jin was wrapping his arms around them both. For the first time in his life, Hanzo felt at peace with the world. He was home.

Two Weeks Later

She flitted into the bakery as quickly as she could after closing and hid herself among the bags of flowers until closing time. Once she was sure no one else was in the building, she crept from her hiding place and over to the rows of bread that had been baked earlier that day. She snatched two, a few pastries and even some raw ingredients for cooking on her own and leapt through the window in the kitchen, her prizes stowed in a canvas bag she had…"appropriated". It had been hard going these past few weeks for the Uchiha girl. Stealing, living off the land, bathing in streams and rivers. Her body was beginning to show the wear of her lifestyle, stripping her of weight she'd put on when she had been living with Orochimaru. However it did little to diminish the, now wiry, strength she still possessed and her iron will. The abandoned building where she made her home was very near the tow she'd been in the night Kabuto had had to come looking for her. Every now and then she'd see that boy again. The Byakugan user. And the old man as well. The boy seemed to have been taken under the wing of that man since he always followed him around. He'd even started carrying a sword on his waist. She wished she could be him. She longed for a family. A connection with somebody. Hell, she'd settle for being someone's maid! As she plopped down onto the ratty tatami mats she used as her bed, she took a loaf of bread from the bag and began to gnaw at it hungrily. After a moment, she stopped and closed her eyes. She couldn't keep living like this. She was slowly starving. She needed to find a home. She needed a place where she didn't have to steal or beg. She was tired of stealing everything she needed. It wasn't right and she didn't want to be that kind of person. She wanted to be the one Uchiha that the world could be proud of after what had happened so many years ago. She needed a lot of things. A job most of all. Any job. Something. Heaving a sigh, she continued to gnaw at her bread. Then she growled and sat up, shaking her head.

"Get a hold of yourself 'Yuri. You WILL survive. No use moping. Just have to do what I can."

She snatched at the bread and continued to gnaw at it. In the morning, she would find a job. Then, she'd take it one step at a time.

That next morning, Sayuri headed to the stream and bathed herself thoroughly, washed out her clothes and even washed her hair. Then, she made her way into town and started to look for work. After three hours with no success, her spirits began to dampen. She had eaten that morning but the constant walking in the heat was sapping her energy and making her belly howl with hunger. She trudged through the streets, stopping at every shop or restaurant she passed, kindly asking the owners if they had any positions available for her to work in. One by one they turned her away. Looking at the sky, she shielded her eyes as she noted the position of the sun. It was noon and she hadn't eaten since seven in the morning. Grimacing at the painful demands from her stomach, she headed towards the nearest shop and practically stumbled inside.

"May I please beg a bowl of ramen?" she said to the owner behind the counter, "I will pay for my meal through labor."

The owner looked at her with scrutiny and narrowed his eyes. Just as her stomach let out an extremely un-ladylike howl. Blushing, she turned to rush out in shame.

"Hey, take a seat. One bowl of ramen on the house. You need it."

She stood there, in the doorway, as her lip quivered. She did need it. Desperately. And he was being so kind. Sniffling, she turned and sat, her head down and her eyes fixed on her knees as the owner set about preparing her meal.

"I haven't seen you in the village often. Are you passing through?"

She shook her head and spoke.

"No sir, I live on the outskirts." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The man was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"And your parents?"

Sayuri didn't bother responding, she simply kept her head bowed.

"Your ramen…"

A steaming bowl of the most delicious smelling ramen was slid directly under her face and she closed her eyes and breathed in deep. How long had it been since she'd had a meal like this. The sheer aroma was enough to have her stomach howling once again. Hastily giving thanks, she attacked the bowl, trying to maintain a semblance of decency as she wolfed down every bit of it. Before she had sipped up the last drop of broth, a second bowl was put in front of her. Glancing up at the owner, she saw that he was smiling at her.

"Eat. And when you're done with the second bowl, you'll wash them and I'll consider that payment."

At this, she shook her head.

"Sir, not to be ungrateful, but I can't just take from you and offer so little in return…"

The man laughed and smiled at her.

"You've got good morals, young one. I appreciate that. So I'll offer you this: I'll have you work here, cleaning, doing dishes and sometimes cooking, if you learn fast enough. I'll pay you half wages and throw in three meals a day as the other half of your pay. Does that sound good?"

She cried now. Actually, she started to weep. It was as if Kami had blessed her with this opportunity she so sorely needed. And the terms? Actual money? Three meals per day? She wouldn't be in his debt, and she'd be able to work and better her living conditions. She couldn't hold back the tears and so she cried as she nodded at her new boss.

"I accept!"

Two Months Later

Hanzo was sweating more than he ever had since he began living on his own. He was aching in places he never knew he had. He was bleeding from a cut on his left arm.

"Very good, Hanzo-kun. You're getting the hang of this."

He cracked a smile as Jin sheathed his blade in the saya on his back. Hanzo did the same with his and took a moment to stretch as much as he could without causing himself pain. In the two months that he'd been taken in by his new father he'd fallen into a rigorous routine of an early morning meditation, then working at his father's weapon shop in town, heading home early to practice his Hyuuga techniques before Jin returned home, taught him the way of the sword as well as various other things. It had been a pleasant surprise when he'd learned that Jin used to be a Jonin rank ninja before he'd retired early to be with his wife who had hated the danger he put himself in going on missions. Afterwards he had gotten work as a security guard for wealthy dignitaries, started up a booming weapons business and had many stores in the five great nations. However, the man had clearly been keeping up with his shinobi skills. And he'd already taught Hanzo so much.

"Thank you, father. I never thought I'd learn to use weapons. Hyuuga normally focus on Gentle Fist."

His father nodded sagely and then walked over, placing a hand on his sons head.

"True, but a rigid fighting system will pale when pitted against an opponent who is versatile and varied in their combative arts. Hanzo, you told me a few days ago that you wish to return to your old village and prove to the Hyuuga clan that you are not a failure? Then you will need to become the most unorthodox Hyuuga you can be. Only then will you be able to achieve your goal."

Hanzo closed his eyes as he drank in the wisdom. Jin was right. When it came to the Hyuuga technique he was rapidly progressing now that he was able to get better rest and an actual sparring partner, but he was still below where he wanted to be. He needed more than a few ace-in-the-holes if he wanted to show up the clan when he returned. His ability to wield a sword would definitely be a surprise. He also had started to learn about nature manipulation. That was a whole other window of possibilities right there. It would take a lot of time but he was more than willing to put in the work.

"Hanzo-kun? Son, snap out of it. We have more training to do before dinner."

He smiled as Jin led him into the garden for more practice.

"Yes, father."

Sayuri hummed happily to herself as she scrubbed a bowl clean behind the counter of the ramen shop. She had reason to be happy. After two months of working in the shop, she'd bought herself and new set of clothing, soap and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Even better was that her boss let her stay in the little flat above the shop so long as she worked every single day. He didn't collect rent but told her that she'd be out on her butt if her work slipped up in any way. He hadn't had to worry about any of that, however. Her only focus was working until the shop closed at seven pm, then training until 11, sleep until 9:30 and then back to work at ten. She had a good life at the moment and she was extremely comfortable compared to how she had been living after she'd run away from that snake bastard.

"Sayuri-chan! I need you out front to help with customers!" her boss called to her as he turned to look at her from the main counter.

"I'm on it boss.' she replied with a smile, before drying the bowl, then her hands and heading past him into the store to deal with the customers.

The store was moderately packed for the lunch rush and she bustled about, taking orders and clearing tables before relaying the orders to her boss who began cooking. She had just delivered the last of the orders and decided to sweep a little when someone else entered her store and she stopped, openly staring at the young man who had walked in.

"Hi, is there a seat for one available?" he asked.

It was him, the kid she'd seen take on six assailants with the help of his middle aged friend. Only he looked way different. He didn't look like he was living on the streets anymore. In fact, he looked like he'd been living the high life since she'd last seen him. He'd gained weight in muscle, lost the bags under his eyes and was smiling at her. Noting the black streaks on his face and shirt, he must have also acquired a job working with metal since he smelled of smoke.

"Um…miss? Are you okay?"

No, no she was not okay. She was torn between admiration and fury. The last time she'd seen him she'd felt a connection. They had both been down on their luck, struggling to survive back then. Now? He was doing very well for himself and she was managing only because of the deal her boss had struck with her. She shouldn't be feeling this way, she knew that, but it was like she'd lost a friend, even though she never got to know him. Heck the first time they saw each other, all she'd done was smile.

"Okaaay…. I guess 'll come back later?"

Shit, she was supposed to be showing him to a table.

"No, wait. My apologies, we do have one, it's at the main counter though. Is that alright?" she said with a half-smile.

She waited until he nodded, then she pointed out the seat for him before getting behind the counter.

"What would you like?" she asked, pencil ready to scribble down his order.

"Two bowls of ramen, large, miso broth, no vegetables whatsoever just pork and noodles. An order of pork gyoza, fried. And some fried banana for dessert please."

It took everything within her to not look at the boy in front of her and ask out loud whether he would finish all of that food. Sure, he was pretty muscular for a 12 year old but he'd ordered a meal she'd seen grown men struggle with.

"Think I can't finish it?" he challenged with a smirk.

Sayuri felt her cheeks grow hot. Clearly she wasn't hiding her skepticism as well as she should have been. She chuckled softly.

"It's just...that's a lot of food. Have you seen the large bows we have here?" she said with a smile.

"You just watch me. And if I finish it, you have to tell me your name. I remember you from two months ago but it'd be nice to actually meet you, ya know? So what do you say? Deal?" he asked, offering his hand.

Sayuri grinned at him and shook his hand.

"Deal, but only if you tell me your name first."

The boy grinned widely and she grinned back.

"Hanzo. Hyuuga Hanzo." he said proudly.

Sayuri nodded, then relayed the order to the cook, who had been watching with a small smile.

"You just lost that bet Sayuri-chan. The boy eats like a monster."

Sayuri just laughed and went back to sweeping.

Hanzo put his chopsticks down after systematically obliterating every plate of food that the waitress had brought in front of him. He'd been eating heavily for a while now, the rigors of his job and the grueling training he put himself through demanding that his body be filled to the max with anything edible that he could get his hands on. Stifling a belch, he stretched in his seat and then cracked his knuckles. His break would be over in ten minutes; luckily the restaurant wasn't too far away. As he reached for his pocket to grab his wallet, he saw the waitress come by and look at the countertop in front of him in awe.

"Looks like I win." Hanzo said with a grin.

The girl shook her head and started clearing up.

"My boss was right, you do eat like a monster" she mumbled.

Hanzo just chuckled and placed the money for his meal on the counter and then turned to the girl.

"So, your name?"

She smiled shyly before answering.

"Sayuri. Uchiha Sayuri."

Hanzo nearly fell out of his seat. An Uchiha? A freaking Uchiha? Before he'd left the village he had known about the Uchiha. They were rivals to his own clan in terms of strength. The police force of Konoha. Had she run away too?

"Wait…does that mean you're from Konoha?" he asked her in a soft voice.

The girl looked puzzled for a second, then her eyes widened.

"The Uchiha clan lived in Konoha… but I don't remember ever living there. I lived with O…..someone while I was growing up, but then I ran away."

Hanzo watched her in silence. By circumstance, she was just like him. Both of them had no true family. Both of them were living outside Konoha. And both of them needed to go back. Him, for revenge. Her, to be reunited with her clan. He offered her a smile and then reached in his pocket and gave her a one hundred ryo tip. His father would be a bit cranky but, he couldn't not help her out in some way. She didn't look like she'd been having an easy time of it while he was basically living the way he should have been at the Hyuuga Compound.

"Sayuri…." Hanzo began, but then stopped as she looked at him.

"What's up?" she said.

He couldn't ask her to come back to the village with him when he was fully trained. He'd probably be at least 16 or 17 by the time. Five years was a long time to ask someone to hang around. Besides, he hardly knew her. Smiling a little, he jumped off his seat.

"I'll see you tomorrow for lunch. Same time same order." he said before heading out of the shop and back to Jin's weapon shop.

Sayuri watched the Hyuuga boy go with wide eyes and a fist full of ryo. He had seemed to want to ask her something but had thought better of it instead. Stuffing her tip into her pants pocket, she gave the money for the meal to her boss, then resumed her job. The days went by, melting into weeks and then into months, time rapidly flying by as she continued her work and training regimen. However she had started to find new things to occupy her time. She'd made friends with a girl her age when she and her mother had come by the shop for lunch one day and was slowly gaining a social life. They met up at her house every week to simply do things like play in her back yard, go to the movies with her parents, shopping with her and her mother. Sayuri was beginning to actually feel more and more like a normal girl, albeit a well-trained shinobi. She was also seeing Hanzo, as he had said, every single day at lunch time with the same order waiting for him. And it seemed like she was gaining a new friend there since they would talk from the moment he entered the store to the moment he left. She'd even gone so far as to invite him along to the movies with her and her friend Mai, with Mai's permission of course, which was how she'd ended up waiting for him to show up at Mai's house, passing the time by playing a board game with the civilian girl.

"So, where's your friend 'Yuri-chan?" Mai asked as she rolled the dice then moved her piece up the board.

"Dunno, he's always on time for lunch though. Maybe he'd be here by now if I had offered him food." she said with a laugh as she took her turn then handed the dice back to Mai.

"What was his name again? Hanzo? Isn't he that kid with weird eyes who works with Old Man Jin?"

Sayuri snickered then took a sip of her juice.

"That's him, but his eyes aren't weird. It just something his family have because he's a Hyuuga."

"He's a HYUUGA? Seriously?"

Sayuri could only nod as the girl continued to gawp at her.

"You're right! I should have known. I've heard of them, they're supposed to be the strongest clan in Konoha ever since the Uchiha clan…..Oh, I'm sorry 'Yuri."

Sayuri shook her head and smiled at the girl, although her insides seemed to turn to ice. Being reminded that she was one of the few people left in her clan wasn't something she wanted to think about on what was supposed to be a fun day. Luckily, there was a knock on the door and she got up, along with Mai, to answer it. Mai got there first and opened the door, letting Hanzo into the house. He was dressed in casual clothes today, not the rough work clothes she always saw him wearing: Slim fitting jeans and t shirt that complimented his toned frame, his hair was let down as always but was sleek and flowing as it went from the crown of his head to his mid-back. And he was smiling at them both.

"Hey, you must be Mai, nice to meet you. Hey Sayuri!" he said brightly.

Sayuri nodded to him while Mai's mother had peeked out of the kitchen to see all of the commotion.

"You must be Hanzo," the woman said with a smile, "The girls have been waiting for you young man. It's not nice to keep a lady waiting."

She giggled as Hanzo went beet red then offered an apology.

"My mother took her time brushing out my hair." he mumbled

"Your mom brushes your hair?" Mai snickered.

Sayuri giggled too when Hanzo nodded and blushed more.

"She enjoys it." he mumbled again.

"Well that's all fine," Mai's mother said, "Mothers like to groom their babies. Well are you three all set? I won't be able to accompany you and neither will my husband since he's at work and I have to prepare for an event tomorrow."

At this, Mai looked shocked, then scared.

"So you're letting us go alone?" she asked.

Hanzo was the first one who started to laugh, then Sayuri, and then Mai's mother joined in.

"Mai, you'll be very safe. I've spoken to Hanzo's father, Jin, and he assures me that Hanzo can most definitely take care of himself so you'd be safe. And I'm quite sure Sayuri is much the same." Mai's mother said with a wink in Sayuri's general direction.

Sayuri nodded to her friend then bumped her on the shoulder good naturedly with her own. No way she'd let anything happen to her friend. Mai, smiled at her, then ran to her room to grab her allowance.

"You all be safe, you hear?" Mai's mother told them as her daughter rushed back and they headed for the door.

"Yeah, ma!" her daughter said as they all traipsed through the door and into the evening.

Hanzo and Sayuri walked away from Mai's house later that evening side by side. The movie had been pretty good to Hanzo while both of the girls had been prattling about it since the movie ended. Sure, it had been funny but it wasn't that great. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked over at Sayuri and caught her staring at him.

"What's up?" he asked her.

She was quiet for a while. Then, staring straight ahead, she spoke.

"Do you ever miss Konoha?"

The question stopped him in his tracks as a yawning chasm of homesickness opened up inside of him. He missed everything about the place: The Academy, Hokage Summit, the village in and of itself. It was his real home and it ached that he wasn't ready to go back yet. So intense was his pain that he didn't notice that Sayuri had come next to him and taken his hand in hers. Looking at her, he nodded.

"Every day. I want to go back but I'm not ready yet. I have to train more. I have to get stronger. And I can't go back until I know for a fact that I can prove to my clan that I'm not worthless."

He saw the sadness in her eyes for him and had to look away before he began to cry. Then she spoke.

"I haven't been there….I don't really know if I can miss something I've never had but….I miss it too."

Hanzo squeezed her hand lightly, and looked at her again. Tears were sparkling in her eyes and her lower lip was quivering.

"I'm sorry, 'Yuri…" Hanzo whispered.

They stood like this for some time, before she dropped his hand and began walking again. Hanzo followed her, since her home was on the way back to his. They walked in silence for rest of the way, just taking in each other's company. When they finally got the restaurant, Hanzo smiled at her.

"See you tomorrow for lunch?" he asked her.

She nodded and then turned to unlock the door that led to the upstairs flat. Hanzo turned to go, then, whirled around and walked back to her.

"Sayuri…..I'm going to go back to Konoha when my training is complete…"

Sayuri froze as the words came out of her friend's mouth. He was going back to Konoha. Not immediately, she realized, but he would be going back, nonetheless. Half of her wanted to scream at him in anger. The other half wanted to beg him to take her along when he left. She didn't want to lose her friend and she desperately wanted to go to the place of her birth. But she didn't want to just thrust herself into what was sure to be a very personal mission for him. He had confided in her a month ago about why he had left Konoha in the first place. She understood his need to prove that he wasn't worthless. Every day she'd been with Orochimaru, he'd called her worthless in some way or other and that had pushed her to excel at everything he'd thrown at her. Still though… She wanted to see the village. Even if it was only once in her life.

"Sayuri? Did you hear what I asked?"

Crap. She'd zoned out. Shaking her head, she looked at him and listened intently.

"Do you want to go back to the village with me when I'm ready?" he asked her. For, like, the fourth time.

She'd been staring off into space after he'd told her that he was going to go back home. Most likely thinking to herself about what he'd told her a month ago. This time, though, she had heard him and she was staring at him so intensely that he could practically feel her staring through him. Then, suddenly, he was being crushed by her in a hug so tight it cracked his back.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthanhkyouthankyouthankyouthanyouthankyou…"

As his friend kept going he simply hugged her back awkwardly (since he could barely move his arms), and then waved goodnight as he made his way back home for the evening. Walking into the house, he saw his father sitting in the living room, running a whetstone over his sword.

"Hanzo, my boy. How was the movie?" Jin asked him as Hanzo walked past him to his bedroom.

Hanzo, kept his face neutral but was sure that Jin could hear the smile in his voice when he answered for the man smiled softly over his blade.

"I had fun."

"So you did, my son. Goodnight Hanzo."

"Goodnight, father."


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own the Naruto-verse, i am borrowing for the hell of it. It says rated M but none of the M stuff is coming until probably this chapter, where there's going to be fighting and swearing and the start of the two characters adventures in Konoha. In those chapters, the fourth war will have happened, Neji survives (because i can't kill off my favorite Byakugan user), and everyone will be doing normal life things like dating and missions and all sorts of stuff so don't worry. The content will live up to rating in a little while. Had to make em growed up first haha. Enjoy and reviews are always welcome. I'm going to try to keep up with the story because its really fun to write

* * *

Five Years Later

'Parry. Block. Shift left. Parry again and follow through with thrust. Backpedal…'

Hanzo mentally coached himself as he sparred with his master, their blades whirling around them and flashing in the light like silver fishes in water. He'd spent six years on his own honing his Hyuuga technique. Surpassing the limits of his body. Then he'd met his master. Five years. Five grueling years. Training, working. Day in and day out. He was seventeen now. Seventeen and more skilled than he could have ever imagined. His sword was a natural extension of his body and mind. His taijutsu was impeccable, having perfected the Hyuuga techniques as well as adding in new styles of combat he'd managed to blend with his traditional fighting style. His shuriken-jutsu, thanks to his best friend, was more than on par, though he couldn't quite master it the way she could. His ninjutsu had exploded way beyond the capability of a normal Hyuuga. He couldn't. Fucking. _Wait._ To get back to the village.

'Dodge, half spin and reverse slash… Parry, block into counter thrust'

Jin hadn't missed a step as he aged. He was 40 and still sprightly and combat effective. Even after five years, Hanzo was hard pressed to even disarm him, though he'd been getting the hang of it. Now, he had been charged by his master with an impossible task: Either Hanzo wounded him in battle, or he'd have to train for another year. Growling, Hanzo spun on his heel and whirled his blade around in an arc to give him some breathing room. Then he charged. There was no use planning too hard when it came to a battle like this. That had been one of his main teachings under Jin-sama. The principle of _nagare_ , or flow. The mindset of being able to flow like water where the current of battle led. It had shown him just how limited he'd been before in combat. He was a versatile ninja now. A truly unorthodox shinobi. And now, all he had to do was prove to his master that he was good enough to leave and go it alone.

'Fuck.'

* * *

Sayuri watched as Hanzo and Jin practically tried to kill each other in their garden training yard. She'd come over with all the belongings she'd accumulated over the years sealed in a traveling scroll, and had come to do the same for her friend before he'd roped her into watching this "training session". She'd had to activate her Sharingan the moment the fight began. They were simply too fast. She had to have it active simply to watch them at a normal speed. The more effort she put into it, the more she could predict their movements before they came. She'd rapidly progressed with her kekkai genkai and had gained her triple-tomoe Sharingan for her efforts. Her taijutsu was more or less on par with Hanzo since she'd started training with him four years ago. Her ninjutsu and genjutsu were excellent to say the least. And her shuriken-jutsu was still outstanding. Still, as she watched Hanzo go at it with his father she was awed. Her best friend was a superb ninja. Just like she was. She couldn't believe that neither of them had an actual rank in the ninja hierarchy and was dreading the thought of being made a genin upon her arrival in Konoha. She thought she'd make at least Chunin with her skill set. Refocusing on the fight, she was amazed to see Hanzo removing the strips of cloth around his forearms and legs. She was even more amazed when she saw him remove what could only be a set of weights from each appendage. The resulting boom from the weights hitting the floor nearly made her pee herself. After that? She could barely see Hanzo. He was so fast that her Sharingan was the only reason she could keep up with his movements. Clearly Jin-sama had been putting her friend through the wringer over the years. But the old man wasn't a slouch by any means, using his superior ability to drive Hanzo back on the defensive every time he tried to launch an attack. After a few minutes, she sensed someone join her on the bench and turned to smile at Miyuki-sama. The older woman returned the smile before turning towards the fight. Leaning back on her hands, she chuckled a little to herself.

"Jin won't be winning this one." She said softly.

Puzzled, Sayuri shifted her gaze to the fray, only to find that the two combatants had taken their sparring session to the rooftops.

"What makes you say that, ma'am?"

She had no clue how Jin's wife, a civilian, could tell that her husband was going to lose this battle when, to her, it looked like Hanzo was only just keeping himself from being defeated.

"I know how my husband battles. I watch him when he practices from the tea room. I know enough from that to see that Hanzo is the one dictating this battle, not Jin." The woman said with a small smile.

Sayuri glanced sideways at her and saw that her eyes had filled with motherly pride as she gazed at the blur she knew to be her adopted son. She'd been visiting Hanzo and his parents for years now and she was always awed to see how much the woman cared for the boy despite the fact that she wasn't his biological parent. Even so, Sayuri didn't see how Hanzo was the one setting the pace in this altercation. Looking back towards the fray, she concentrated hard, trying to see what Hanzo's mother saw. Trying to catch Hanzo's advantage.

* * *

No weights meant Hanzo could move a whole lot better, not to mention he could strike full force and move much faster. Jin had compensated and still managed to match him step for step, however. But Hanzo had been cooking up a plan. Thankfully, father had moved the fight to the rooftop so he wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage. Now, though, he had to concentrate. He'd been massing chakra as much as he could into his body so that he could use his newest technique. It had started with only a thought, during his nature manipulation training, when he'd found out that he was a Wind natured shinobi. Afterwards, he'd been practicing on getting to use it in many of his techniques, mainly his Hyuuga ones. Recently, however, he'd managed to perfect something that he'd been keeping secret from his father. Good thing he was ambidextrous. As Jin came in, sword flying, Hanzo lashed out with a lightning quick slash that forced the older man to step back.

'NOW!'

Hanzo took his left hand off of his sword hilt and held it out from his body, channeling the massed chakra into his palm, then outwards. He heard Sayuri's f-bomb from where she was sitting as they all watched his chakra take form in his left hand, mimicking the sword he held in his right. Thank Kami he was wind nature. It made the whole blade thing easy, especially since Jin had taught him how to use wind nature to give his real sword a razors edge.

"Kami damn it all, son, you are full of surprises." Jin said with a proud smile.

Hanzo allowed himself to bask in the praise for a second before launching himself forward, going for the win. Jin had only had enough time to channel his chakra into his blade to prevent his sword from being sliced in two by Hanzo's new weapon. Even still, Hanzo knew he had the upper hand, especially since he could now attack and defend at the same time. He forced his father backwards, entering a state of absolute peace in his mind. He didn't have to think anymore, he simply let his body react instinctively as his five years of training kicked in. He dodged a slice to the forearm and brought his left sword up to feint a strike to the body then whirled around to attempt a cut to his mentor's sword arm with his right handed blade, using the movement to hide the fact that he'd changed grip on his left hand weapon and was bringing it in high. Jin had definitely taken the bait and he was trying to deflect the next blow by shifting his sword enough that it would toss Hanzo's real sword to the side and be ready for another deflection. Too bad, the reverse grip that Hanzo was using offered him a solution to that problem. Bending, he tucked his chakra sword down and up, right under his mentors guard while he activated his Byakugan so that he didn't miss his intended target. They both froze and watched as a single droplet of blood fell to the roof tiles with a soft _plip_.

* * *

Sayuri was absolutely stunned. First he'd basically whipped a sword into existence out of thin air. Then he'd been dual-wielding those blades like he'd come out the womb. And, finally, he'd ended the fight with such precision that it was scary to see. But, she could definitely see that Hanzo had sank the literal tip of his chakra sword into his father's nose. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miyuki smiling proudly at her son.

"He's been working on that for month's now. I'm glad to see he's perfected it. And that's not even the most spectacular thing about what he can do with his nature manipulation." Miyuki said as she rose to her feet, "He's able to do it with both hands, leaving him in a situation where he'll never be weaponless, and he can make a chakra version of any weapon he chooses. And Jin has been teaching him how to use many, not just a sword. He's surpassed his father in many ways. He's ready to leave." She finished with a sad smile.

Sayuri turned to see that the woman's eyes were glistening. She couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy towards her best friend for having something she didn't. But she felt sad for the woman who was going to lose her son.

"You're going to miss him…aren't you?"

Sayuri spoke softly when she said this and had the good grace to look away as Miyuki began to silently cry for a few minutes. When the woman cleared her throat, she looked at her again and saw that Miyuki had a smile on her face.

"I will miss my boy… but he's a man now. I can't hold him here and he has to return to his real home."

Sayuri simply watched as Miyuki dried her eyes and cleared her throat. The swish of a cloak alerted them both to the landing of father and son.

"Yuri-chan!"

She didn't have time to move before she was trapped in a bear hug, Hanzo lifting her off of the ground. She suppressed her smile and whapped him over the head with her hand, making him put her down.

"What was that for?" he asked with a wince, though he was still grinning.

"You were going to break me in half, you moron!" she said, poking him hard in the ribs.

Hanzo simply chuckled and turned to give his mother a hug. Sayuri looked away as another twinge of jealousy zipped through her. Really, she shouldn't be feeling this way but it hurt that she had never known the love of a mother, or the protection of a father. All she had known was a sort of cruel affection at the hands of… No, she wasn't going to think about that man, thing, whatever it was. She had more than enough issues as is, thank you very much. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Jin's face.

"Jin-sama." she said with a respectful nod. Jin smiled at her.

"Sayuri-chan. All set to leave with Hanzo-kun?" he asked, gesturing to the scroll she had strapped to her back.

"Yes sir, I'm just waiting to seal all of Hanzo's clothing." She said with a nod.

Jin wiped the dot of blood on his nose and chuckled as he looked at it.

"I never thought he'd be this advanced with his nature manipulation. He's surpassed me in many ways. I'm glad I got to be the one who raised him for these five years. He might not have been ready otherwise." Jin said softly, before turning to look at her, "Take care of him, please? I know he can more than look after himself but I'd feel better if someone with a bit more sense was looking after my boy."

"I heard that father."

Sayuri had to chuckle as Hanzo came strolling over with a pout.

"I'll be fine, father. I learned from you after all."

Jin cracked a smile and clapped his son on the shoulder, turning to join his wife as Hanzo led Sayuri into the living room where he had neatly organized all of his clothing for her to seal away. Both of them sat on the couch, Hanzo passing his clothing to Sayuri who would seal them away into a scroll that Hanzo would carry for them both all the way to Konoha. After a few minutes, Sayuri broke the silence.

"You nervous to go back?"

Hanzo bit his lip and then nodded.

"Yeah…I know for a fact that the first day back for me will be rough."

She said nothing as she considered again the reason he had left Konoha in the first place. They'd have to be on guard the moment they entered the village. Hanzo would most definitely be accosted if they didn't keep a low profile before he could get to the compound. And once they figured out she was an Uchiha then she'd be in the spotlight as well.

"I hope I'm ready…"

As her friend uttered these words she rolled her eyes and scoffed at him.

"You spent five years learning how to become a shinobi under a fine master. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You'll do fine." she said to him as she sealed away the last bit of his clothing and started to roll up the scroll. When she looked up, Hanzo was beaming at her.

"Thanks 'Yuri. I'm really glad you're coming along."

She smiled back at him and tossed the scroll towards him as well as the ones containing her items. They both stood when Jin-sama and Miyuki-sama entered the living room, the latter holding a money bag that anyone could see was _tightly_ packed full of ryo. The former was holding something that made Hanzo's eyes widen.

"Son," Jin-sama began, "from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you would grow into a man worthy of respect. A good man. One with integrity. I didn't know why you lived the way you did but I knew that you'd been no stranger to hardship and trials. I took you in that day because you needed the guidance and the good fortune. You had earned it. And now, I send you back out into the world as a man, as a fully trained shinobi, as a son who I couldn't be more proud of. As such, I want you to have this, in place of the blade you used today. I had crafted this for you about three months ago. May it serve you well."

Sayuri gasped when Jin held out the gift in his arms: a sword that looked to be about three feet in length with a five inch handle. The blade was a black, chakra loving steel, double edged and had the silhouette of the kanji character for Wind stamped into the blade. The handle was bade of the same steel, but with an ornamental wrapping of white silk around it for a comfortable grip. The blade looked almost too beautiful to be put through the inevitable combat it would see but, knowing the old sword maker, the weapon would perform beautifully when the time came. She turned to look as Hanzo accepted the gift, sliding the blade into its black lacquer saya, eyes brimming with tears. She was going to put a hand on his shoulder when Jin turned to her and held out a beautiful looking tessen fan, its metal spines gleaming silver with red etchings in them of dragons and phoenixes. The end of the fan was sharpened to a deadly edge and she had to give Jin-sama some credit. It would work excellently with her shuriken-jutsu and she'd be able to work better as a kunoichi as the fan would give her a discreet weapon to work with. She looked at Jin-sama with eyes full of gratitude before he spoke.

"Sayuri-chan. I have known you for a long time and you have always been a true friend to my son. Without your encouragement and determination to train alongside him, he would not be where he is today. You have my eternal gratitude and my friendship. Thank you for helping my son grow. Thank you for being his friend. And thank you for always being there. May this tessen fan serve you well as you continue to grow."

Yeah, she was gonna cry. Absolutely going to start bawling. She'd never heard words like those, spoken with such sincerity. She was just a girl with no family and plenty of talent but to be actually held in such high esteem by a man of such renown? She snapped the tessen shut and flung herself at Jin, wrapping the man in a hug while she silently cried into his chest. She felt warm arms wrap around her and held on tighter to the swords master, trying to take in a lifetime of care and fatherly protection in that one moment.

* * *

Hanzo politely averted his eyes as Sayuri had a bit of a breakdown in his father's arms. He knew that she would have been overwhelmed by the gesture of the weapon she was gifted in but then father had told her that he cared about her. He smiled a little as Sayuri peeked out from Jin's chest and smiled at him before finally letting go. Mother hugged her and father ruffled her hair. He still felt bad that he'd been blessed with a family while she'd had to struggle. He hoped she'd find a better life and lots more friends in the village. Speaking of, it was already noon and Konoha was a day or two's journey away. He left the three to converse and secured the scrolls to his back from their slings, before placing his new weapon on his hip. It was good that he'd left the room to get everything set up for their departure. His hands had started shaking. His breaths coming in gasps. He was going home. Back to Hyuuga Compound. Back to the family that had shunned him. Had marked him for death. Back to his blood father. Tears spilled over his eyes and he slammed his lids shut, cutting off every emotion he had besides a burning sense of determination. He wasn't going to break down like this any longer. No, he was going to show his blood relatives just how much better than them he'd become. As he ruminated in his thoughts he felt a hand on his shoulder, gentle and warm. He didn't have to turn or activate the Byakugan to know that Sayuri was standing behind him, ready to go. He hastily swiped under his eyes and then straightened his spine, standing tall and proud like any member of the Hyuuga clan would. He was ready to make the journey.

"Let's get a move on Hanzo. If we travel fast, we can get halfway there by nightfall then make the rest of the trip tomorrow afternoon."

Hanzo nodded and turned just in time for his mother to toss the money bag at him. He caught it on reflex and smiled.

"Thanks mom." he said as he tucked the money into the lapel of his jacket. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, then hugged his father, hard. Then he looked at his best friend.

"Let's go. Time for Konoha to regain two kick-ass shinobi."

Sayuri didn't need any further prompting. In a flash, they had burst through the front doors of Hanzo's home, jumped onto the rooftops, then into the trees as they raced towards Konoha. And towards their new lives as shinobi.


End file.
